It's sad a recruiter would discount you for things on your resume that are additive (like certs).
I have a decade of experience in very large environments. I have half a dozen certs, many industry standard, but I also have an A+. It's on my resume. Anyone who discounts me for that is probably not the kind of guy I'd want to work with.
+1
The A+ is exactly what you ought to be focusing on if you're just getting started in IT. Although the A+ isn't required for most entry-level IT jobs, some employers require it. And even when it's not required, it's usually desired.
However, Scholz, I'd recommend you get a different book. I once worked with a help-desk tech who used an earlier edition of that book to study for the A+ exam and failed the first exam badly... so badly, in fact, she didn't try again. At least, not until I became her co-worker years later. I recommended that she use the A+ All-in-One by Meyers (
current version here). She studied it and passed both exams.
If you need any certification advice, please feel free to ping me. RetroRob (above) can vouch for my solid advice, as I mentored him years ago as well.